About this blog

My name is Bill Hirt and I'm a candidate to be a Representative from the 48th district in the Washington State legislature. My candidacy stems from concern the legislature is not properly overseeing the WSDOT and Sound Transit East Link light rail program. I believe East Link will be a disaster for the entire eastside. ST will spend 5-6 billion on a transportation project that will increase, not decrease cross-lake congestion, violates federal environmental laws, devastates a beautiful part of residential Bellevue, creates havoc in Bellevue's central business district, and does absolutely nothing to alleviate congestion on 1-90 and 405. The only winners with East Link are the Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington and their labor unions.

This blog is an attempt to get more public awareness of these concerns. Many of the articles are from 3 years of failed efforts to persuade the Bellevue City Council, King County Council, east side legislators, media, and other organizations to stop this debacle. I have no illusions about being elected. My hope is voters from throughout the east side will read of my candidacy and visit this Web site. If they don't find them persuasive I know at least I tried.

Friday, July 24, 2015

BRT Reduces East Side Congestion and More

On July 22nd I emailed the below to the Bellevue
Reporter in hopes they might print it to support my claim in the 7/17 “letter
to the editor” that two-way BRT on I-90 center roadway was the only way to ease
areas congestion.It also details other benefits. They didn't. I also sent it
to the Bellevue City Council in an attempt to dissuade them from approving East
Link permits.While the BR may use
it at a later date, the BCC July 27 meeting agenda includes more details of
their MOU agreements with Sound Transit, “suggesting” they’re plans to proceed
to final East Link approval.I
decided to post it as an example of what the BCC continues to ignore.

BRT Reduces East Side Congestion and More,The way to reduce congestion in our area is for
Sound Transit to expedite their long planned 4th lane additions to
the I-90 Bridge outer roadways for non-transit HOV and initiate two way bus
rapid transit (BRT) on the bridge center roadway.The center roadway lanes would each accommodate more than 1000 buses an hour, with far more transit capacity than what's needed to reduce the area's congestion

Access to this capacity could be achieved by
dramatically increasing parking along the entire I-90 corridor.Existing P&R lots could be expanded
and new ones added, presumably at less cost than additional parking in Seattle or downtown Bellevue.Each P&R
would have dedicated bus routes not only into Seattle, but to Bellevue and
Overlake T/Cs.Thousands of
commuters would be able to leave their cars near where they live reducing
congestion throughout the east side.

Reduced congestion is only one of the
benefits.BRT would eliminate the
need to close the South Bellevue P&R next March.The added parking further east would eliminate the need to
expand the existing capacity and BRT wouldn’t need the massive light rail
station.(The fact Sound Transit
has no viable plan to accommodate those who currently use the P&R makes it
even more “beneficial”)

While initiating BRT would necessitate some
temporary disruptions to I-90 center roadway, East Link would shut it down for
6 to 7 years.BRT would
eliminate the outer roadway congestion that will inevitably result from center roadway
closure, even with the added 4th lanes.

BRT would eliminate the need for Sound Transit to
disrupt those who live or commute along the route into Bellevue during the 5-6
years required for construction.There
would be no need to devastate a tree-lined boulevard to construct light rail
tracks, high voltage power lines and an elevated roadway.

Downtown Bellevue would be spared the disruption
from light rail construction and there would be no need to pay $100M to fund a
tunnel.Cross-lake BRT would end
Sound Transit’s plan for a huge maintenance facility in Bel-Red and allow far
less intrusive and more accessible “South Lake Union” streetcars providing an attractive
“urban village” ambience to the area.

About Me

My last elective position was class president for 25 “class of ’57” seniors in Armstrong, Iowa. I received an MS in engineering at ISU, worked at Boeing for 36 years before retiring in 1998. My wife and I moved into our current home in Bellevue in 1967 where we raised two daughters. Three years of unsuccessful attempts to persuade BCC to block EL are available on “extended session” meeting minutes. Copies of many were sent to all the media outlets, legislators, and others to no avail. I’m hoping this Web site will convince east side residents to query their own legislators.